So Qiu Yizhi raised his hands, handed the memorial back to the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, Dali Khan seems to have exaggerated a bit. Although the Turkic national strength has improved in recent years, it is not easy to recover from the great victory at Mantou Mountain more than ten years ago, which wiped out the elite soldiers of Piximi. Although the Turkic people are rampant now, they are just like mad dogs barking at the sun. Although the court cannot let it go, it does not need to take it too seriously."
At this point, Qiu Yizi hurriedly added: "Could it be that the emperor wants to send me to the north first to help Dali Khan defeat Biximi again? I..."
Zheng Rong did not answer, but continued: "Vishimith is just a clown, not worthy of my full strength to deal with him. I want to send you to Youyan Road, is it just for this Vishimith? Please read this memorial carefully again for me."
As he spoke, Zheng Rong was afraid that Qiu Yizi had missed a few words, so he half-leaned down, stretched out his slender and somewhat skinny fingers, and tapped hard between the words of the memorial.
Qiu Yizhi followed the direction of the emperor's finger and focused his eyes there. He saw the words written on it: "Du'er has just turned four and can already ride a horse. I have received the Four Books and Five Classics that Your Majesty gave me a few days ago. I have ordered Mr. Cai Wenchou to teach him carefully. In the future, Du'er will be both civil and military, so as not to disappoint the emperor's kindness."
This sentence was incoherent and didn't seem to be important, yet it also seemed to be specifically raising this matter. When Qiu Yizi read it just now, he felt it was a bit abrupt, so he didn't delve into it. Now that the emperor had pointed it out, he read it again and again, and only felt more confused.
So Qiu Yizi asked: "Your Majesty, I am stupid, what do you mean by this sentence? Please tell me."
Zheng Rong snorted again and said, "Have you forgotten the good things you did? 'Du'er' is the child you and Yiran gave birth to. The name was given by me personally. You and Princess Yiran had a son on the Bohai grassland. Did you just find out about this now?"
When Qiu Yizi heard this, his whole brain went blank, and it seemed as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. He couldn't even hold the fragile and feather-light memorial, which fell to the ground.
Qiu Yizhi did have an affair with Yiran, but they were both young at the time, and then Qiu Yizhi went to the south of the Yangtze River to serve as the magistrate of Shanyin County, and the two were separated from each other. Later, when Qiu Yizhi arrived in the capital, he also asked about Yiran's whereabouts, but everyone only said that Yiran was not used to the climate and soil in the Central Plains, was unwell, and went back to the northern grasslands to recuperate, and there was no news from him since then.
Qiu Yizhi only missed the princess of Bohai from time to time, wishing her health and happiness, but he did not expect that she would give birth to a son for him. Such great news made him unbelievable for a moment, and he ignored the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects. He stared at the emperor with his eyes wide open and asked, "Your Majesty, is this true?"
Zheng Rong answered firmly: "This matter concerns the reputation of a daughter, how can it be a joke? Do you think it is true or false?"
After hearing Zheng Rong's unquestionable judgment, Qiu Yizi was actually somewhat delighted - after all, he, Qiu Yizi, was already in his twenties and almost thirty years old. Among his brothers, Zheng Xin and Zheng Sen already had children, and Zheng Miao's wife Xiao Qin had given birth to two daughters for him. Although he had sex with Wen Lingjiao many times, he had never had a child - Yiran was able to give birth to a child for him - and it was a boy - which could be regarded as leaving a stick of incense for his Qiu family.
Seeing Qiu Yizi's smile, showing a hint of frivolous pride, Zheng Rong immediately scolded: "Now you understand my painstaking efforts, right? If I transfer you to Youyan, you can be with Yiran and Duer all the time. While guarding the northern border for me, you can also enjoy the happiness of family. Isn't it a harmony between public and private, the best of both worlds?"
Qiu Yizhi originally thought that the power of heaven was unpredictable and that he would not be able to escape the disaster today, but he did not expect that the emperor would actually consider him like this. This made him burst into tears: "The emperor has made such an arrangement. I cannot repay him even if I die, I cannot repay him even if I die!"
Zheng Rong was happy to hear Qiu Yizhi finally agreed, and said, "So you agree to lead the army in Youyan? It's just right. Although Yiran has your child, she has never been married. She is a princess, and you are only an earl and a seventh-rank county magistrate. I think your status can't be lowered. I want to make you a duke, and give you a second-rank civil or military position, so that you can almost match the princess of Bohai..."
While Zheng Rong was making arrangements, he saw Qiu Yizhi bowing several times on the ground and saying, "Your Majesty, I cannot repay your kindness even if I die. However, I would rather go to the Bohai grassland to herd sheep and horses than accept this title and official position."
Zheng Rong was immediately shocked when he heard this and asked in surprise: "You...what did you say?"
Qiu Yizi repeated his words again, shocking the emperor so much that he was speechless.
After a while, Emperor Zheng Rong asked, "Why? You already have a child, but you still can't forget Wen Lingjiao, the evil witch?"
Indeed, if Qiu Yizi were to compare Yiran and Wen Lingjiao alone, he would naturally choose Wen Lingjiao; but Yiran already had her own son, and the balance in Qiu Yizi's heart irreversibly tilted towards Princess Yiran.
However, just for the sake of his son, Qiu Yizhi insisted on retiring to the countryside and was determined not to lead troops and serve as an official. He had been in the Youyan Palace for so many years and had seen many tragedies of brothers fighting each other. Now that the emperor was old and in poor health, and his three sons were not ordinary people, a fierce and cruel fight for the throne that was no less fierce than that of previous generations was about to begin.
Qiu Yizi was a person who had such close contact with the royal family. If he took a wrong step or said a few more words, he would be in immediate danger. At that time, his own destruction would be a small matter. He was afraid that his friends and relatives would also be implicated. Even his son far away in the northern grasslands might not be spared.
So Qiu Yizi kowtowed and said, "I have already let Princess Yiran down once, and I don't want to let her down again. I am willing to go to the desert grasslands and spend my time with Princess Yiran in the mountains and rivers. That is why, since I have married Princess Bohai, it would be a bit taboo for me to lead the army and take charge of Youyan again. Please think twice, Your Majesty."
"Hmph! You also know taboos?" Emperor Zheng Rong said viciously, "When the Lingnan Palace rebelled, Zheng Gui met with you privately several times and wanted to recruit you. Didn't that happen? When Lin Shuhan evaluated you, he said that your literary talent and martial arts were not inferior to those of the vassal kings. Didn't that happen? After you reunited with the demon girl Wen Lingjiao, you assisted her in going to Mingzhou to eliminate dissidents. Didn't that happen? When attacking Yanziji Wharf, you pretended to be deaf and dumb and used artillery at your own will. Didn't that happen? When doing these things, why didn't you know taboos?"
Some of these things were expedient, some were done spontaneously, and some were done out of love, but all of them were done by Qiu Yizhi. The royal law of the Heavenly Family was ruthless, and it would never tolerate such a serious crime that was close to treason and disrespect. Regardless of the motives, as long as it was done, it must be punished.
Qiu Yizhi was cornered by the emperor's words, so he made up his mind and said, "Yes, I didn't understand the principle of taboo at the beginning, and I have committed a serious crime. I am willing to be punished. People like me who are so daring and reckless will not be reused, so please revoke your order, strip me of all my titles and official positions, and don't send me to Youyan to lead the army."
Zheng Rong had actually known about these things a long time ago, but he had not pursued them at the beginning because Qiu Yizhi had always been bold and kind-hearted. He pointed them out to her face today, just to scare her into submission, but unexpectedly Qiu Yizhi pushed back. He could not help but get angry and raised his voice, "I ask you again, are you willing to lead the army in Youyan?"
Qiu Yizi was also a person who would only respond to soft words and not to hard ones. He kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I don't want to go!"
Zheng Rong was so angry that the veins on his forehead popped out after hearing this. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, okay, okay. Qiu Yizi is capable and has backbone. A mediocre and cowardly ruler like me can't use you. Well, it seems that I have to be the cruel and incompetent ruler today!"
After that, Zheng Rong walked to the door, stretched out his right foot, kicked the door open, and shouted: "Come here, throw Qiu Yizi into the cell and wait for me to decide his fate!"
Since Zheng Rong arrived in Jiangnan, the war has been progressing very smoothly, so the emperor was in a very good mood. The guards standing on both sides had not seen the emperor so angry for a long time and were stunned for a moment.
Seeing them standing there in a daze, Zheng Rong became even more furious and shouted, "What? Are you deaf, or do you want to disobey my order? Didn't you hear what I said just now?"
After hearing this, the guards finally recovered from their shock and hurriedly followed the emperor's order, wanting to go into the house and capture Qiu Yizi.
Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Zhongli Kuang blocked the doorway and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, please think twice. This Qiu Yizhi..."
This time the emperor was furious, and even Zhongli Kuang's face was no longer useful. The emperor interrupted the prime minister rudely: "Don't talk about Qiu Yizhi anymore! At most, he will be known as a person who slaughtered meritorious officials and destroyed the Great Wall. I can bear it!"
This had already exhausted the topic, leaving Zhongli Kuang unable to persuade anymore. He could only step aside and watch as a few ferocious-looking guards lifted up the not-so-tall Qiu Yizi from the ground.
Emperor Zheng Rong gritted his teeth and watched Qiu Yizhi gradually walk out of his sight under the escort of several burly guards. He held a breath in his chest and finally couldn't breathe. He fell to the ground in a daze...
Since the emperor's guards in the Qingya Temple were temporarily provided by the Imperial Guards, the Ministry of Justice and Qiu Yizhi's troops, the news that Qiu Yizhi was arrested by the emperor reached Lin Shuhan's ears almost at the same time.
Qiu Yizi is both Lin Shuhan's good friend and his benefactor, and his own future and destiny are closely tied to Qiu Yizi, so he has to save her.
After Lin Shuhan got the news, he knew that Qiu Yizi was arrested by order of the emperor himself, and asking ordinary people to come forward would be of no use, so the first person he found was Prime Minister Zhongli Kuang.
Zhongli Kuang knew the purpose of Lin Shuhan's visit, and met him in his busy schedule. He told Lin Shuhan the whole story, but he just said that the emperor was furious at the moment and they could only think of a way to rescue him after the emperor calmed down. Going to persuade the emperor now would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.
Lin Shuhan had heard many stories about Zhongli Kuang from Qiu Yizi before. He knew that this prime minister was a man of extraordinary wisdom and strategy, cold-hearted but warm-hearted, and had a very deep relationship with Qiu Yizi. He was also a party to and bystander of the whole incident - since he said that he could not rescue her for the time being, he could not force it.